Inflatable decoy



Sept. 25 1923.

G- H... MOORE INFLATABLE DECOY Filed July 17. 1922 FATS GEORGE E. MOORE, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR T0 AIRTITE DEGOY COM- PANY, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, A FIRM QOIVIPOSED OF GEORGE E. MOORE AND C. O. FIELDS.

"INFLATABLE DECOY.

Application filed July 17, 1922. Serial No. 575,711.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnonon H. MOORE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas Clivtly, in the. county of Jackson and State of issouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Inflatable Decoys, of which the following is a complete specification.

This invention relates primarily to an inflatable decoy for use in duck hunting, and one of the objects of the invention is to produce a decoy of air-tight construction which can be compactly folded up without cracking or checking the material and thus resulting in the creation of a leak.

A further object is to produce means for insuring the upright floating of the decoy when on the water.

A still further object is to produce a de vice of the character set forth which may be slightly modified to provide a toy for children.

With the objects named in view the invention consists in certain novel and useful features of construction and organization of parts as hereinafter described and claimed: and in order that it may be fully understood, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, inwhich Figure 1 is a side elevation of a device embodying the invention. 7

Figure 2 is a central vertical section taken through the same.

Figure 3 is a section on the line IIIIII of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the device in use as a toy, partly broken away to disclose parts otherwise hidden.

Figure 5 is a section on the line VV of Figure 4.

In the said drawing, where l'ke reference characters identify correspon ing parts in all of the figures; 1 indicates an envelope of any suitable material, preferably canvas, and painted and shaped to resemble a duck, said envelope being provided with an opening in its underside which is laced together as at 2, as common and well known. The bill of the duck is formed at its underside with an opening 3 for a purpose which will here inafter appear.

Adapted to he slipped within the opening 2 in the underside of the decoy is a rubber or other suitable bladder 4 of expansible material and of substantially the same shape as the envelope 1. A string 5 provided with a weight 6 at its end is secured to the part of the bladder forming the bill and exits through the openin 3 in the envelope. This string is used to pu l the bladder up through the neck and into the head of the decoy, as will be readily understood when the decoy is n use. The weight 6 will function in conunction with a part hereinafter referred to as a stabilizer in maintaining the decoy in an upright natural position. Centrallyof its lower portion, the bladder 1s provided with a tube 7 secured in position m any suitable manner and of any desired material, said tube being closed at its lower end by a cork 8. In this connection it is desirable to state that the tube 7 is used not only in inflating the decoy, but is also sulficiently heavy to act as a weight and maintain the body of the decoy in an upright position on the surface of the water.

All of the inflatable decoys now on the market with which I am familiar have been found undesirable due to the fact that when they are compactly folded up for storage or the like, the filling material used in making such fabric decoys air-tight, will crack and check, and open up the pores of the fabric, and thus destroy the floating qualities of the decoy. It has also been found when a decoy is accidentally perforated by shot or otherwise, that it is practically impossible to efficiently repair the openings thus made.

With a decoy embodying the invention, however, folding and crumpling of the device does not injure it in any manner, and, moreover, if a decoy is accidentally perforated by a shot or the like, the opening thus made can be quickly repaired by the use of the common and well known vulcanization process vfor automobile tubes or the opening may be closed with what is termed a cold-patch.

In order to provide a childs toy which can be safely dragged around the floor without noise or danger of marring or scratching the furniture or woodwork, the device may be slightly modified, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, in which: 9 indicates the envelope which may be of canvas or other suitable material and at its underside is provided with a suitable opening 10, for the insertion of the bladder 11. The bottom of the bladder is formed with an opening which substantially registers with the opening 10 in the envelope and the side edges of said openling are closed by being cemented or otherwise secured to a marginal flange 12 formed on an inverted dome shaped metal .member 13, provided with a filling neck 14:

closed by a cork 15. It will be understood -inthis connection that the dome member is sufiiciently heavy to maintain the devlce in an uprlght position when dragged over the floor, and that the shape of the device is such as to protect the closing cork from contact with the floor.

It will be apparent that a toy of this novel may be drawn over the floor.

From the above description, it will be apparent that we have produced a decoy of the character described which possesses all of the features of advantage set forth as desir-able, and while we have described and claimed the preferred embodiment of the same, we reserve the right to make all changes pro erly falling within the spirit and scope of the appended claims,

ll claim l. A decoy comprising an envelope provided with an opening, a removable inflatable bladder therefor, and an inserting string secured to one end of said. bladder and adapted to be projected through said opening in the envelope.

2. A decoy comprising an envelope provided with an opening a removable inflatable bladder therefor, a filling and ballast tube secured to said bladder and depending therefrom and accessible exteriorlyof the envelope, an inserting string secured to one end of said bladder and adapted for projection through the opening in said envelope, and a weight secured to said string.

In witness whereof I hereunto aliix my signature.

GEQHEEGE H. MOQRE. 

